


Tackled

by PagetPaulson



Category: Criminal Minds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-05-06 02:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5400233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PagetPaulson/pseuds/PagetPaulson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New v. Popular. An age old story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kicking the soccer ball to one of her teammates on the field, JJ ran down toward the goal to get herself open again. This was her team, her sport. If they wanted to be ready for the state championship, they needed to get their shit together.

"Kick it to Jennifer, Callie!" the coach called from the sidelines. "To Jennifer!"

The newest member of the team hesitated before slapping the ball with the side of her foot, but it was a moment too late and one of the girls on the other team stole the ball and kicked it down the other end of the field.

JJ threw her hands in the air and watched her teammates score a goal, and she pulled off her pinnie.

"Callie," the coach scolded, gesturing for the team member to walk over to her. "If this was a real game, you would have cost us a point."

The brunette girl nervously nodded her head.

JJ crossed her arms and glared at the younger girl from her spot on the field. They really needed to pick up the pace if the new girl was going to be any kind of asset to their team.

"You look constipated."

The blond pushed her friend away from her as she huffed. "Fucking ridiculous," she groaned, marching over to the benches and picking up her water bottle. "I'm not screwing up states because the fucking new girl can't kick a goddamn ball."

Teresa looked to the older girl with wide eyes. "Dramatic much?"

"I'm angry. Shut up."

Another blond came walking up, letting her hair out of her ponytail. "Nice game," she complimented her friend, not even bothering to hide her grin. "Too bad the new girl fucked you over, huh?"

JJ glared, her cheeks puffed out with water, before she threw her bottle back to the ground.

"Calm down."

Teresa shook her head. "If she goes home with this attitude, her dad will buy her that purse she's wanted."

JJ's eyes lit up. "True." Turning her head to the new teammate, she grinned. "Thanks Callie."

Absently hitting her friend's arm, the brunette ran her fingers through the ends of her tangled hair. "Who's that?" She pointed over to the unfamiliar girl walking near the edge of the football field. "Is she new?"

JJ forced Grace's hand off her arm before she looked out to the other athletes outside, her eyes meeting the figure wandering the football field. The dark haired teen had her hand tight on the strap of her bag as she looked to each and every athlete she saw, the brown eyes JJ could see from yards away flickering over one of the star football players.

"I don't think I know her."

"Maybe she doesn't go here," JJ offered up. It was a big school but being as popular as she was, the soccer star knew anybody and everybody.

Grace almost glowered at the unfamiliar girl as she went over to one of the football players on the sidelines and started talking to him. Her boyfriend.

Teresa could have laughed at the look on her face. "It's not like she's going to jump James, Grace. She's probably asking for directions."

"Around the field?" the other soccer player scoffed. Glaring at the dark haired girl in what was clearly a pair of hand-me-down jeans and boots, Grace picked up her bag and quickly made her way to the football players.

JJ rolled her eyes. "Dramatic," she huffed, she and her friend following Grace toward the other athletes.

Practically sprinting up to her boyfriend, the soccer player took him by the arm and spun him around. "Hi baby," she grinned, pulling him down for a kiss. "How's practice?"

"Still going on," the older boy smirked.

"Right." Holding her boyfriend's hand firmly in her own, Grace looked to the girl with what looked like jet black hair and gave her the fakest smile she could muster. "And who are you?"

She gave a nervous wave to the other girl, her eyes darting back to the two other soccer players making their way toward her. "Emily," she nodded, feeling her heart racing wildly in her chest. "I just transferred here."

JJ gave a nod. "Nice to meet you." Gesturing to the rest of the football players around them, the blond smiled. "What brought you down here?"

"I like football," she supplied, smiling smally. "Learned to play when I was four."

Teresa frowned. "You play?"

James nodded to the girls. "Yeah, she told me to inform the coach that our play needed to be reworked because I wasn't catching the ball in time."

The girl holding tightly onto the football player frowned. "Kind of rude."

Emily's smile faded, the teenager wanting to immediately shrink away from the band of girls practically staring her down.

"Anyway," JJ interrupted, hearing James scold his girlfriend for her behavior, "I guess we'll see you tomorrow for class?"

"I'm not sure of my classes yet," the brunette said meekly, trying to look away from the blond before her. "I'm a junior but I'll be taking a lot of senior classes."

JJ smirked. Smart and pretty. "Well maybe you can sit with us at lunch if we have it the same period." Ignoring the glared from her friends, the rich girl made sure to hold her smile. "Sound good."

Emily's eyes flickered from girl to girl before nodding her head. "Thank you."

The soccer star watched with her hand on her hip as the new girl turned her head back around to look out to the football field, and she knew her eyes immediately went to the quarterback taking off his helmet to shake out his hair. "He's cute, isn't he?"

Emily bit down into her bottom lip as she kept her eyes on the teenage boy.

"I think so too," JJ agreed. "Everybody does." She had had a crush on her friend Aaron for years, but he was already taken.

The brown eyed girl watched as the player in question went over to the cheerleaders and let one of the blondes in the front row reach up to peck him on the lips. Just her luck.

Smiling, JJ waited for the new girl to turn around. "Maybe next time though." She motioned for her friends to follow her back to the locker rooms before giving a small wave to the brunette. "Tomorrow for lunch, ok? Don't be late."


	2. Chapter 2

Pulling one of her curls she saw was too tight in the rearview mirror, the ambassador's daughter let out a nervous sigh, sitting back against the leather of the seat she was in. Her mother had insisted that their driver get Emily to and from school, but the teenager thought it would cause so much embarrassment for her. Sadly, their new mansion was out of the way of the bus route, and she had no other choice.

She still didn't have a car. No matter how much money they had, her parents didn't think she was ready to have such a responsibility.

"Are you alright, Miss Prentiss?"

Emily looked back into the rearview mirror and gave her driver a nervous smile. "I guess."

The middle aged man nodded. Knowing the brunette for years, the driver was sure she was just trying to keep it together. Another day, another new school. "I'm sure you'll do great," he grinned. "Straight A's as always, right?"

The teenager smiled. "Hopefully."

Pulling up to the school, the driver was quick to unbuckle his belt so he could get out and let his client out.

"No," Emily interrupted, sticking her hand out and touching her driver's shoulder. "Please don't add to the embarrassment."

The driver smiled, sitting back in his seat.

"Thank you for driving me," she smiled. "Do you mind not coming to pick me up? I can walk home."

"Miss Prentiss, it's eight miles."

Emily shrugged. "Exercise." She opened the door and stepped out of the expensive car and into the sunlight. Squinting, she moved a few ebony hairs from her face and gave a small wave to her driver before walking up the school's steps.

Up the stairs and in front of the front doors, the ambassador's daughter saw the cute football player she had seen the day before. He was so handsome: chiseled features, dark hair and a bright smile. She was able to see that all from underneath his helmet at football practice, and when he'd taken it off, she was sure she lost her breath.

Walking up the last few steps, she made sure to avert her gaze in case he were to look over. If their eyes met, she'd for sure trip or crash into somebody and embarrass herself in front of him.

And just her luck, the moment she looked away from the older boy her chest collided with another, and her phone and water bottle clattered to the marble steps.

"Here," a familiar voice said, kneeling down beside her to recap the spilled bottle.

Emily looked up to see James, the other football player, holding out the plastic bottle for her.

His eyes lit up. "Hey," he grinned, helping her stand. "Emily, right? How are you?"

The brown eyed teenager smiled smally to the older boy and shook her head. "Good," she laughed lightly, surprised to have such a reaction from who she knew was a popular boy. "How'd the rest of your practice go yesterday?"

"Great thanks to your tip," he laughed. Gesturing her over, he held out a hand to the boy Emily had been crushing on for a full day. "Aaron, this is Emily. The team's savior."

Emily did her best to hold in her snort as Aaron gave her his hand, and she gave him her most firm handshake. "Hi," the brunette breathed.

Aaron smiled wide to the beautiful girl. "Hey. Thanks for that tip by the way," he grinned. "Our team hasn't been able to fix that play for the past month, and we're down to the state finals. You really helped us out."

The brunette beauty shook her head. "It was nothing. I've played for a few years so I thought I could help."

"You really did."

Biting her lip, the ambassador's daughter got herself ready to ask the attractive teen to help her find the guidance office, where she needed to go and pick up her schedule, when a flash of blond hair invaded her eyes.

"Hey," the familiar face grinned. "Emily right?"

Emily remembered JJ from the day before and she gently nodded her head. "Yeah. You actually didn't give me your name."

The soccer player offered her hand to the new girl. "Jennifer Jareau. My friends call me JJ."

Emily gave a small smile.

"You could also call her Jenny."

The blond turned and smacked the football player in his peck. "You know I hate that."

Aaron laughed. "Why did you think I did it?"

Rolling her eyes at the cute boy, the soccer player turned back around to smile at the new girl. "Do you have your schedule yet?"

Emily silently shook her head.

"Why don't you come with me and I can show you to the office?"

The junior didn't even have the chance to respond before the blond was dragging her inside the school.

"So where are you from?"

Emily's cheeks puffed. That was a loaded question. If she were to get into the entire story, they'd be there until the last period of the day. "I just moved from London," she said softly.

JJ's head turned, her eyes wide. "You're English?"

"No, no. My family just moves around a lot."

Nodding her head, the blue eyed teen led her through the hallways. "Well I saw you eyeing Aaron again," she chuckled, seeing the embarrassment flood the other girl. "Sweetie, he has a girlfriend." Who would one day be her. She knew Haley was getting on his last nerve.

Emily quickly shook her head. "He's just nice."

"A lot of people here are nice," the teen said in a whispered tone, condescension in her voice. "But that doesn't mean they're for everybody. There's a hierarchy here, and Aaron's one of the ones at the top."

The brunette girl took her arm from the other girl's as they reached the office. "Thanks," she said flatly.

JJ gave a small smile to the brunette. "That invitation for lunch is still available if you're interested." Flipping her platinum blond locks over her shoulder, the soccer player waved. "Have a nice day."

Emily felt a sour taste enter her mouth, knowing she had almost associated herself with someone like JJ. She quickly entered the office and smiled to the secretary, wanting to do her best on her first day.

She'd rather have no friends than be friends with those girls.


	3. Chapter 3

Watching the new girl walk into the room, Penelope sat eagerly in her seat, waiting for the teacher to assign her to the empty seat beside her. She had had an awful partner last time and the girl had finally been transferred to a different class, and knowing there was someone knew coming in made her grin from ear to ear. "Emily!" she waved when the brunette girl turned to the class. "Emily, over here!"

The ambassador's daughter frowned before making her way to the third lab table. "Hi," she said hesitantly, setting her bag down. "Do I know you?"

"You do now," she grinned, thrusting out her hand. "Penelope Garcia. I'm your lab partner."

Emily sat herself down and shook the other girl's hand. "Hi," she nodded. "How do you know my name?"

The blond took out her notebook. "Well the teacher said we were getting a new student and I knew whoever it was would have to share my table. So I hacked into the school database and looked at the new student file," she grinned. "You're the new student. Emily Amelia Prentiss."

Emily's jaw dropped. "You hacked into the school's system?"

"It's not that complicated." The tech genius watched the other girl take her notebook and pen from her bag. "So have you made any friends yet?"

The brunette girl bit her lip. "I don't think so," she shrugged.

"You don't think so?"

"Well I met some football players," Emily said, smiling slightly. "I helped them yesterday at practice and they seem nice."

"Well you have one now," the blond smiled.

Emily gave a grin to the bubbly girl beside her and felt as if she were on cloud nine. She had found a friend.

"So which players?" the genius asked, looking down to her notebook so she could scribble down the date. She seemed surprised that the new girl had quickly gotten along with the jocks.

The ambassador's daughter opened up her notebook and wrote her name and date at the top of the page. "James and Aaron. I don't know their last names though."

Penelope looked wide eyed to the dark haired girl. "James Beacon and Aaron Hotchner?"

Emily frowned. "Maybe. Why?"

"They're so cute," the tech genius gushed, her chin settling in the palm of her hand. She could vaguely hear the teacher starting in the front of the class as she watched Emily try to hold back her amused smile. "They talked to you?"

"Yeah," Emily laughed lightly. "They're nice. I can introduce you."

"Ok!"

Mrs. Gould looked to the girls in the back and quickly shushed them, her finger to her lips. "Girls."

Penelope looked up to the teacher and gave her a smile. "Sorry, Mrs. Gould," she nodded. "Just telling Emily where to find her next classes."

After their lab, the girls realized they had second period together as well and made their way down toward the gym.

"You'll love our teacher," the tech genius nodded as she pulled her new friend along through the halls. "He doesn't make us work too hard for participation points and you don't have to dress up in gym clothes if you really don't want to."

Smiling, the brunette followed the other teen into the gymnasium and immediately noticed the boy she had been crushing on for an entire day shooting a basketball into the nearest hoop.

"That's Aaron," Penelope grinned. "He's the Aaron you were speaking of, right?"

Emily blushed when he noticed her and smiled, and she gave a quick nod to the girl gripping her wrist. "That's him."

The tech genius laughed at the blush and quickly pulled the ambassador's daughter into the girl's locker room. "He's such a sweetheart. He picked my books up for my once but other than that he's barely noticed me. We haven't been in many classes together," she shrugged. "But his girlfriend? A total bitch."

Emily's brow furrowed as she sat down. "Really?"

"Big bitch," Penelope nodded. "Want to share my locker?"

The brunette grinned. "Sure." She changed into a pair of shorts she had brought and sneakers, and started throwing her hair up into a ponytail as she watched the other girl tie her shoes. "So why is this girl a bitch?"

Penelope looked up to her new friend through the frames of her glasses and rolled her eyes. "Her name is Haley and she can be nice when she wants to, but most of the time she's just rude. Her dad has a good amount of money and she's blond, so that automatically makes her popular."

Emily gave a slow nod as she let the information sink in. "And now she's dating a football player."

"The quarterback," Penelope snorted. "So she's basically at the top of the pyramid."

The girls walked back out into the gym and Emily's focus was quickly pulled away when a familiar voice yelled at her.

"Emily! Catch!"

The ambassador's daughter almost stumbled back as she caught the basketball. "God," she huffed. Looking up, she saw Aaron smiling at her from the center of the gym and gesturing for her to throw it back. Smirking, Emily dribbled the ball over to him and quickly ran around him.

Aaron laughed, charging after the brunette girl and smacking the ball away from her.

Spinning on her heel, Emily back peddled and jumped the same time Aaron did when he went to shoot the ball, and she immediately took it in her hold and sprinted back around the older boy to make her basket.

"Damn," he grinned, walking up to the new girl and giving her a high five. "You sure can play. Basketball and football?"

Emily laughed as she bounced the basketball against the floor. "I'm a busy girl."

Walking out of the locker room with her water bottle she'd forgotten and frowned. The new girl _again_ with Aaron. How many times was the star soccer player supposed to tell that dark haired dimwit that she wasn't allowed to have him?


	4. Chapter 4

Following her new friend into the cafeteria, the ambassador's daughter carried her lunch tray as close to her as she could to make sure nothing spilled, her dark doe eyes looking to every table to see if they had vacancies.

"See anyone you want to sit with, Princess?"

Emily chuckled at the nickname from the tech genius. "I don't really know anyone besides you."

The blond quickly nodded. "Well what about outside? It's pretty nice."

"Sure," the brunette agreed, immediately following the younger girl out into the quad to find a table.

Looking up from his own lunch, the football player who'd had his eye on the new girl found the brunette walking onto the grass. "Be right back," he told his friends before jumping up from his seat. "Emily!"

Emily's head turned, her eyes squinting in the harsh sunlight.

"Hey."

Her eyes widened at the sight of the football player, her hands tightening on the tray she held and the book in her free hand. "James," she smiled, looking up to the older boy. "Hi."

"How's your day so far?" Seeing the beautiful girl struggling with the multiple things she was trying to hold onto, the football player took the lunch tray from her hands. "I've got this."

Emily smiled. "Thank you." She gestured to the table where her friend had sat down and watched the older boy set her tray there. "It's been ok so far," she nodded, answering his question. When he turned back around and smiled at her, the ambassador's daughter felt herself blush. "I met Penelope."

The tech genius smile dup to the football player and gave a small wave. "Hi James."

James invited himself to sit across from the blond. "I know you," he laughed. "You were in my science class last year, right? Honors Bio?"

"Yeah," the blond smiled back. "That was me."

Emily slowly sat down beside the grinning boy and set a curl behind her ear.

"What teachers do you have?"

Emily looked back up and smiled nervously to the older teen. "Mrs. Gould, Mr. Becker and Ms. Hall so far. This is my fourth period."

James leaned his elbows on the table. "I had Gould second period. She can be strict sometimes," he laughed, "but she's a really good teacher. This is the second year I've had her."

"What grade are you in?"

James tried to stop himself from staring at the brunette girl beside him, quickly shaking his head. "I'm a senior."

"James!"

The football player and girls he was sitting with turned to see his girlfriend standing with the other two soccer stars, Grace smiling wide to the football player, but Emily could see the side glare she was giving both her and Penelope. Sinking into her seat, the ambassador's daughter tried for a smile. "I guess I'll see you later."

Turning his head back to the beautiful brunette, James shook his head. "Do you mind if I sit here for lunch?"

Emily's eyes widened. "Uh, no. No that's fine."

"Ok," he grinned. James got himself up from the table and went to get his lunch from where he had left it with his friends. "Hey babe," he smiled, kissing Grace's cheek before going over to get his lunch.

Aaron looked up from the homework he was doing. "Hey, where are you headed?"

"I'm gonna sit with Emily. You want to come?"

The dark haired teen looked over and sent a smile to the new girl. "I have to finish this, but tell her I say hi."

Grace almost glared as her boyfriend picked up his tray and walked by her. "Honey, where are you going?"

James gestured to the new girl sitting over by the bushes. "I'm going to go and sit with Emily and her friend Penelope. You can come too, I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

JJ watched as her friend's boyfriend sat down beside the new girl and hit his elbow against hers.

"I can see the steam coming from your ears," Theresa grimaced, running her hand down Grace's arm. "Settle down."

JJ carried her tray over to the table and stood beside the new girl and the blond across from her. "Hi," she smiled, taking James' attention from Emily and getting them all to look up at her. "Emily, did you want to sit with us? We have a usual table."

Emily gulped, sharing a small look with the boy who sat beside her before shaking her head. "You can sit here if you want," she said lightly.

"We have a usual table."

The strong words gave a small punch to Emily's gut. "I'm sorry. Maybe tomorrow." She saw the blonde's eyes harden on her before she turned to walk away, and she almost felt as if she had sealed her fate at that school with those few words.

James saw the look on his new friend's face and lightly elbowed her side. "Don't worry about her," he smiled. "They're not that tough."

"Right," she nodded, giving a small smile before looking down to her salad. There was something about the blond that just didn't sit right with her.


	5. Chapter 5

Walking out of the school's main entrance, James and Aaron traded textbooks. "I wrote the notes down on page one thirty-seven," James nodded, shoving the physics textbook into his backpack. "Stevenson won't check them unless he sends out that email the night before."

"Thanks," the other football player laughed. Looking over to the parking lot, Aaron felt himself smiling at the sight of the new girl talking into her phone.

Following his friend's line of sight, James looked over to see Emily turning to look back at the building with her phone to her ear. "She's pretty cool, huh?"

Aaron nodded, his hand tight around the strap of his backpack. "Not a lot of girls know about sports," he agreed. "Especially girls who look like that."

James laughed. "I know, right? And she seems really smart." She was extremely attractive.

Sighing, the ebony haired girl rubbed her fingers over her creasing forehead. "Mom," the ambassador's daughter huffed, "I'm fine. My first day wasn't bad." Shaking her head at the immediate questions being yelled into her ear, Emily's grip tightened around her phone. "Yes, my classes were good."

Walking into her line of sight, James waved to his new friend.

Emily grinned. "Ok mom I have to go." Hearing her mother's voice in her ear, the teenage girl tried to keep her smile as the two boys walked up to her. "My friends are here."

Aaron smiled to the new girl as he watched her hang up the phone. "Parents?"

"My mother," the dark eyed girl confirmed, smiling to the two older boys. "She's very strict and overprotective when it comes to school." Every moment of the day the ambassador ignored her daughter, but when it came to grades and relationships with those in school, Elizabeth paid the most attention. "She was just worried about my first day."

"How was your first day?"

Emily smiled to the handsome boy as she adjusted her backpack's strap on her shoulder. "Well I had class with you seventh period," she laughed.

Aaron quickly nodded his head. "Yeah, I didn't know you were going to be there."

"I'm in mostly senior classes," the dark haired girl nodded. "I'm supposed to graduate early."

The other football player felt himself smiling at the attractive girl as the sun hit her dark curls. "Really?"

Emily gently nodded her head, stepping to the side of the sidewalk along with the two teens to let the other students leaving campus pass by. "Moving around a lot, there wasn't a lot of time for friends," the teenager admitted self consciously, shrugging her shoulders. "I spent a lot of time doing schoolwork."

James saw the embarrassment on his friend's face. "Well that's really good for college applications," he tried to help, not wanting to see the sad look on Emily's face that he saw right now. "You know, there's a party this Friday night if you want to come."

Emily's eyes met those of the older boy. "Really?" She hadn't been to an actual high school party before.

"I'll even pick you up," he grinned.

Aaron watched the two smile at each other and he smirked. "Ok well I have to go," he nodded, watching the beautiful girl's attention turn to him. "I have to drive Haley home before practice."

Emily gave a small smile to the older boy and watched him walk away.

"Do you need a ride home?"

The brunette turned her attention back to the football player still smiling at her. "Oh. I was just going to walk."

James slowly nodded his head, starting to walk with the brunette girl up toward the parking lot. "Is your friend Penelope walking with you? If not, I could."

Emily looked at the boy beside her with her dark eyes. "Really?"

"Of course."

Rolling her lips in between her teeth, the ivory skinned girl brushed her dark hair from her eyes and walked with the older boy through the parking lot. "Penelope is tutoring a freshman until five, so I was just going to walk alone." Her eyes darted to the boy at her side. "Are you sure you want to walk me? I live a little while away, and I know you have practice."

James shook his head, bumping his elbow against the younger teen's. "I don't have practice for two hours. And I don't want you getting lost."

Emily blushed. "Well thanks."

"So are you an only child?"

The brunette was quick to shake her head, pointing down the road when James then asked in what direction they were walking in. She didn't exactly know how to get back to the embassy, but a quick address given to the football player and he was leading her in the right direction.

"Sure is a fancy neighborhood," James laughed, watching Emily give him a nervous smile. "That and you traveling all the time? Your parents must be loaded."

Emily chuckled. "I guess so."

Hearing an engine rev beside them, the couple turned to see James' girlfriend pulling up beside them in her sparkling clean car. "Jimmy!" she called, grinning to her boyfriend. "Come on. My dad wants to take us to a late lunch before our practices."

James frowned, shaking his head. "I can't, I'm walking Emily home."

"No," Emily quickly interjected, putting a hand to the older boy's arm. "Go ahead. I'm fine walking by myself."

The football player paused before looking to his girlfriend. "I'll see you after practice, ok? I'm busy right now."

"James," Grace said sourly, "daddy booked our able at La Italia."

The light haired boy shrugged. "I have prior plans. Sorry." He turned back to the brunette at his side and smiled, touching her wrist before gesturing to the sidewalk they were on. "After you."

Emily kept herself quiet as they walked away from the fuming teen in the car. "James," she said softly, looking to him as they came to a small bridge to cross over the town's river. "I don't want to get you in trouble."

"She's all talk," the older boy shrugged. "It's not a problem."

"You don't need to ditch your girlfriend for me."

James paused, looking to the younger girl with intense eyes. "I'd be ditching you for her. I wouldn't leave you alone."

Emily shook her head. "I'm alone a lot of the time," she laughed humorlessly. "I'm used to it."

The football player huffed before taking the teenager by the wrist and leading her over the bridge. "You're a difficult girl to talk to," he laughed, turning to see Emily almost glaring at him. "I like you. I want to spend time with you."

Emily wanted to throw herself into the river they were atop of. No one had said that to her before.

"Grace and her friends can be mean sometimes, but I promise they're not going to make things hard for you. I'll make sure of it." He tugged on her wrist before walking ahead of her off of the bridge. "Now come on. I'll get to your house before you if you don't start walking and then what will your parents think?"

The dark haired girl snorted before following the older boy down the path, her shoulder bumping against his as they made their way through the park.

"This is your place?" James looked up to the mansion they were walking up to and blew out a breath. "Damn."

Emily blushed, opening the gate and letting her friend in. "Nothing special."

"If you want to see nothing special then come over to my place," he laughed. Glancing down to the watch on his wrist, the football player shook his head. "I've got to get back to the school for practice, but I'll see you tomorrow?"

Emily was quick to nod her head.

James smiled. "And the party on Friday? You want to come?"

The brunette heard the guard at the front door call her name before she nodded to the older boy. "Definitely."


	6. Chapter 6

Kicking the soccer ball into the goal, JJ grinned, hearing the rest of her teammates cheer for her as the buzzer sounded. Their final game to qualify for states and she'd scored the final winning goal.

"Jay!"

The blond spun around and let the rest of her teammates crowd around her, her two best friends hugging her tight.

The coach came over and high fived her star player. "You just got us into states," she grinned. "Way to go, Jareau."

JJ rushed over to the benches and grabbed her water bottle, squeezing the cold drink out of the bottle and down her throat.

"You did great!"

She let Grace hug her from behind before she reached down and grabbed her bag. "That felt good," she laughed, taking another drink from her water bottle. "They're fucking hard to beat."

The brunette girl gave her friend a high five and followed her off the field. "I can't believe we're going to states."

"States and then nationals," JJ agreed. "We actually have a good chance at winning." There were scouts at every single game for nationals, and if her team did well and supported her, the blond would be the first girl from her school to get a full scholarship to an Ivy League for her soccer skills.

"Do you think Aaron will come to the games?"

JJ blushed at the mention of her crush and her eyes immediately cast over toward the football field where the players were finishing up their practice. "I don't know," she shrugged. "He'll probably have a game." Or a date with his girlfriend.

Theresa shook her head. "You're one of his best friends. If he's proud of you getting this far, he'll come."

"He has his own things to do," Grace interjected, knowing her boyfriend and his friend would most likely have either practice or a game on the days they'd have their games. Just like the soccer team, the football team was fighting to get into states. "But I'm sure he'll be proud of you."

Glancing over to the football field, the star player frowned, noticing the new girl with her friend once again. How many times was she supposed to tell her? "What the fuck?"

Theresa watched her friend storm over to the fields with the new brunette in her view, and she grimaced. "Girl is gonna get it." She and Grace ran after their friend as she stormed toward the football field, their cleats sticking into the dirt until they came to an abrupt stop just behind the head girl of their friend group. "Jay?"

JJ's tense shoulders slowly loosened as she noticed the new girl shaking hands with her friend's girlfriend, apparent smiles on their faces.

"Jen?"

JJ shook her head, her hand tight around her water bottle as she stalked up to the small group. "Hey," she grinned, her eyes immediately going to the boy she'd had a crush on for years. "How'd practice go?"

Emily blushed at both Aaron and Haley's looks to her, and she slowly nodded her head. "The coach asked me to be his assistant."

Grace felt her body freeze. "You're going to be the coach's assistant? How are you qualified?" The new girl was going to be glued to her boyfriend's hip every goddamn day.

The ambassador's daughter rolled her lips, shrugging her shoulders.

"She's almost better than the coach with the way she's redone our plays," James spoke up, walking over to the group with his bag in hand. "Don't question her."

Grace almost shrunk underneath her boyfriend's gaze.

"So are you guys coming tonight?"

Emily looked over to the football player and smiled, knowing that her new friend was picking her up for the party that was happening that night.

JJ frowned. "That party?"

"Yeah," he nodded, looking to the blond with hard eyes. "It's at my place."

"We're going to the movies tonight. Sorry."

Grace quickly took the blond by the arm and dragged her away from the group of people. "Jen," she hissed, her eyes on Emily as she started a new conversation with Haley. "I don't want them together alone. This girl obviously has some powers or some shit because James really likes her. What if she makes a move on him?"

JJ looked to her friend with disdain. "First off, I doubt they'll kiss, and second why do you want to be a party with a bunch of jocks?" All of the teen's parties had been full of football players and their cheerleader girlfriend grinding to loud music and getting drunk, and she didn't think it would be any different this time.

"Because that party is being thrown by my boyfriend who has been looking at another girl lately."

JJ's nose crinkled, hearing Emily's laughter as James told her a joke. "Fine, we can go. But you owe me movie tickets tomorrow night."

Grace quickly nodded. "Absolutely."

Turning back around to face the small group, the star soccer player shouldered her bag and huffed, gaining the attention of the football players. "Ok, change of plans. We can come."

James gave a fake smile, noting Emily's quiet laughter. "Great."

"Baby, what time should we be there?"

Haley gave her own grimace at the term of endearment, and she sank deeper into Aaron's side as she felt JJ's eyes trail over to her. She had never fit in with the group of soccer players no matter how many times her boyfriend had tried to get them together, mainly because she felt as if the other blond was always doing her best to get her boyfriend away from her to have him for herself, whether if it was for one conversation or an entire night.

She was a piece of work.

"Em?"

The brunette looked away from the football players and to the cheerleader who had been so nice to her.

"Would you think of trying out for the squad? One of our girls has a sprained ankle and you have the perfect body to fill in as flyer," Haley grinned.

Biting her lip, Emily hid her smile, hearing the other football player behind her telling his girlfriend and her posse to leave and they'd meet her later. "I wouldn't be very good, thank you though." She shared a small grin with James as he walked up beside her. "I'm not very peppy, and I can't do those lifts you guys do."

"You trying to steal our new coach?"

The new girl turned and slapped the older boy playfully against his shoulder.

Haley watched the interaction and hid her smile. She wouldn't mind it if the new girl stole the football player from Grace the Disgrace. In fact, she was sure everyone in school would love it. "So do you want to drive to James' with me tonight?" she asked, her arm around her boyfriend's waist. "Aaron is going to be late because he has a family dinner, so we could go together."

Emily smiled at the blond before her. "Thanks, but James is getting me."

Aaron smirked at his friend. Leaving his house to pick up the ambassador's daughter to then drive all the way back to his house?

"Oh," the brunette piped up, turning to the football payer at her side. "Do you mind if I invited my friend Penelope?" She was sure she'd feel out of place that night without a friend by her side.

James was quick to nod his head. "That's fine, she's cool." The blond had helped him the day before unfreeze his phone. "I'll get you at eight?"

He was in her driveway by six-fifty, Emily having to run out with her hair finished just a second before and her heels falling off her feet because she had to stop the security guards from tasing the poor guy. "I'm sorry," she rushed out, batting the hands of the guard away. "I forgot to tell them you were coming."

James laughed, rolling his shoulder where the biggest guard had grabbed him. "It's ok."

"Are you ok?"

He nodded. "Fine." Looking down to see one of the girls' heels left on the steps behind her, he laughed, and he went around her to pick it up. "Are you?"

Emily blushed, noticing her heel in the older boy's hand.

When she reached forward to take it from him, he shook his head. "Let me." Opening his car's driver side door, he let the girl sit down and he took her by the foot, slipping the sandal on for her.

The brunette brushed her straightened hair from her eyes, smiling down to the football player. "Thank you."

"You look great."

She had decided on a pair of designer ripped jeans and a nice top, the heels being her only choice because her boots had been messed up with mud that morning. "Thank you."

"Yoohoo! Don't forget me!"

Emily laughed and stood from the seat, waving her friend over to the car. "Come on, Pen." She spent the car ride trying not to look to much at the boy by her side, so she kept her eyes on the dark road before them as he told jokes and asked the blond in the back how her day was. She didn't want to get caught staring too long at him if he was talking directly to her, which she knew she'd do - she had never been good at eye contact, either she never did it or it went on for too long - and embarrass herself before the first party she'd ever been invited to.

"Em?" he questioned, parking in his own driveway behind a bunch of other guests. "We're here." Noticing her not giving him an answer, those big brown eyes staring out his windshield, James leaned over the gear shift and shook the younger girl's hand. "Emily?"

The ambassador's daughter gulped, taking her eyes off of JJ and her friend surrounding the front door so she could look to her friend. "Sorry."

"You ok?"

Feeling Penelope's eyes on her from the back seat, Emily smiled, taking her hand from James'. "Yeah. Let's go."


	7. Chapter 7

Walking up to the front door with the party's host by her side, Emily could feel her palms and pits start to sweat at the looks the girls on the front steps were giving her.

"Em?"

The ambassador's daughter gave a small smile to the blond she had invited with her. "I'll be right in."

James sent his new friend an uncomfortable look before heading into the house with Penelope, knowing his girlfriend and her posse wanted to pull Emily to the side.

"Cute outfit," JJ complimented the brunette, her back against the side of her friend's doorway. "Dressing up for a special someone?"

The brunette immediately shook her head. "I haven't been to many parties before," she shrugged, trying to ignore the looks she was getting from James' girlfriend. "I just wanted to look nice."

"Well you do."

Emily sent Teresa a small smile.

"So do you want to come with us later?" JJ asked, forcing the new girl's attention to turn back to her. Holding her cup close to her chest, the blond smiled. "We're heading over to another party in about an hour. Free booze, a lot more guys."

The brunette blushed at the look she was getting from the soccer star. "I'll think about it," she nodded. "Thanks."

"Emily!"

Emily turned and smiled at the cheerleader, letting the friendly girl take her into a hug. "Hey Haley," she smiled, letting her new friend pull her away from the soccer players and into the house. "I thought you weren't going to be here until later."

Haley shook her head, taking her friend far enough away from the front door so the soccer shrews. "Why are you talking to them?"

The brunette bit her lip. "I don't want to get on their bad side."

"Whether you're nice to them or not, you'll be on their bad side. You're pretty and super smart, do you think they want that competition?" Seeing the look of discomfort on the ambassador's daughter's face, Haley reached out and fingered one of her curls. "Love your hair, by the way."

"Thanks," she answered softly.

"Did you invite Penelope?"

Emily quickly nodded her head, her eyes searching for her tech savy friend in the house. "Yeah, she and James came in without me."

The blond took Emily by the hand and led her through the groups of people. "Ok, let's go dance."

Watching the cheerleader who had been dating her crush on and off for a few years pull the new girl along with her, JJ felt herself smile. "How sweet," she commenting, laughing as she friends took a look inside. "It's like she's her mother." Protecting the new bait.

Grace frowned, glaring at the now dancing girl. "James didn't even acknowledge me."

"James does that a lot."

"Not true," the soccer player said quickly, the hold on her solo cup tightening. "He's always paid attention to me, he loves me. Except for when he's around Emily, he's normal."

Teresa gave a shrug of the shoulders. "She's pretty." Seeing the glares from both of her friends, the brunette's jaw dropped. "What? She is!"

Peeking into the house, JJ slapped at her friend's arm to get her attention. She and Grace watched as James came up behind the new girl and scared her, immediately pulling her into a hug when she turned to see it was him. "Looks like you've got some competition."

"Emily Prentiss as competition?"

The soccer star shrugged. "She's pretty, even though I hate to admit it, she's taking advanced classes so she's obviously smart, and she's going to be spending a lot of time with your boyfriend now because she's the assistant coach to the football team." Turning to send a condescending smile to her friend, JJ sipped her beer. "Wouldn't be surprised if they got together."

Grace's face erupted in a red flame, watching as her boyfriend started to dance with the new girl and her friend. "Fuck off, JJ," she spit out, throwing her cup to the other girl's' feet.

Rolling her eyes at the other girl's antics, JJ took her friend by the hand. "Relax," she huffed. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

The blond could have hit her head against the dry wall. Was everyone but her this dense? "To get your boyfriend away from that slut."

Emily's brow furrowed as she stood on her tip toes, leaning into the older boy as he tried to whisper something in her ear. "What?"

"Can you hear me?"

Pulling back, the brunette laughed and pointed to her ear. "I can't hear you!"

The football player grinned and gestured to the cheerleader and techy teen that he was taking the new girl over to the kitchen. Taking her hand, James led his new friend through the mobs of people who he'd either invited or those who had invited themselves and moved her over to the quietest corner of his kitchen. "Can you hear me now?"

"Yeah," she snorted, her head falling back as she laughed. "I think my ears are bleeding."

James bent his head, his fingers pulling at the lobe of Emily's right ear. "I think you're clear."

Laughing, Emily pushed the older boy away.

"Drink?"

The ambassador's daughter looked to the counter flooded with booze and she gave a nod. "Sure." She had never been a drinker but tonight was one of her only nights out. "What do you suggest?"

"Something that won't make her puke," Haley called, dragging her boyfriend to the kitchen.

"Man!" James laughed, high fiving his friend.

Emily felt herself blushing as Aaron turned his attention to her and smiled. "Hey," she grinned, not wanting to seem to meek or embarrassed. "How was your dinner?"

"Long."

Haley snapped her fingers in front of the new girl's face to get the attention away from her boyfriend. "I know," she nodded, "he's cute, right?"

Emily's face immediately flushed.

"Relax," she said, reaching forward and taking the brunette's hand. "Don't sweat it." Waiting until the two football players had moved to the other side of the kitchen to get them some drinks, Haley smiled. "He's handsome, I get it. I'm not mad if you think so."

The ambassador's daughter felt her throat starting to close up. "I don't want to date him or anything," she spit out quickly, afraid the cheerleader was angry with her.

Haley rolled her eyes, turning and pointing out the three soccer players over by their few other friends. "She's the only one who would try and steal him," the blond huffed, turning back to her new friend. "I'm not mad, I swear. You're not evil like she is."

"Evil?"

The cheerleader was quick to nod her head. "Three months ago Aaron invited her to a party and when we were dancing, she spilled her drink on me." Watching as Emily's jaw dropped to the floor, she nodded. "At least it was vodka and didn't stain."

Emily's eyes moved to the soccer players. "All to get a boy?"

"She's used to winning," Haley shrugged. Looking over to her boyfriend and his best friend, the blond gave a smile. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure someone else is into you."

The brunette girl turned to look over to the football players, her eyes meeting those of James and widening when he smiled at her. "No!" The denial was immediate, her head shaking. "No, he has a girlfriend."

Haley made a face. "That means he can't like you?"

"He doesn't like me."

Walking over to the girls, James handed his new friend a solo cup. "My own concoction," he grinned, laughing when Emily peeked inside the cup. "It's not too strong, I promise. You'll love it."

Grace watched as her boyfriend continued moving closer to the new girl as she took the first few sips of her drink, and the red solo cup in her hand was crushed in seconds.

"Grace," JJ called, trying to pull her friend back. "Grace!" The plan wasn't finished yet!

Emily's eyes shot over to the soccer player who threw her purse down on the kitchen floor. "Grace?" She watched as the other girl took the bottle of vodka from the counter and charged toward her. "Grace!"

Haley pushed the soccer player out of her friend's way, knowing James had quickly run to shield the ambassador's daughter from the splash of vodka which had landed on the kitchen cabinets. "Bitch!"

The brunette's eyes widened, feeling James' arms around her to stop her from falling to the floor. "Grace what the hell?"

"Get away from my boyfriend!"

Penelope watched the scene from behind another football player, scared to get involved.

"What?"

Grace tried to claw her way around the cheerlead before her, only to be pushed back against the counter. "Get away from him!"

James took his arms from around his friend and turned to the soccer player. "Grace what the fuck are you doing?"

"Her hands are all over her you!" Grace hissed. "Such a slut."

"Hey!" James' loud tone quieted the entire house, and all of a sudden he could feel all eyes on him. "Don't talk about her like that."

"Talk about who? You're new girlfriend?"

"You're being ridiculous." He watched her try and wipe the vodka off her face that had slashed back at her, and he sighed. "You have to leave."

Grace's eyes widened. "What?"

"You and you're friends need to go. We're done."

Emily watched with her lips sealed shut, afraid to speak up, when Grace's eyes moved back to her. Hiding behind Haley, the brunette grabbed the cheerleader's arms. "Protect me," she whispered.

"Out," James said again, watching as the soccer player's eyes filled with tears. "OUT! NOW!"


	8. Chapter 8

Emily's eyes moved from out the windshield to the quiet teen by her side. "I'm sorry you have to drive me home," she said quietly, watching for her friend's reaction. Shortly after his now ex-girlfriend had left his house, James had told everyone to leave, no longer in the mood for a arty. Penelope had decided to leave with Aaron and Haley, but there was no more room in the car for Emily, and James was more than willing to offer her a ride home.

"Unless you wanted to sleep on my couch, this is the only way you're getting home," he laughed. The football player turned his head to meet the curious eyes of his new friend, and he made sure to give her a smile. "I don't mind."

The ambassador's daughter let her lips roll together. "I'm sorry about Grace."

James tried for another smile, his eyes staring straight out the windshield. "Why? She wasn't exactly nice to you."

"No," she said slowly, "but I know you really liked her. JJ said you were together for over a year."

The football player made a face, taking a chance to glance to the girl in his passenger seat. "JJ talked to you? Nicely?"

Emily found herself smiling as she thought of the three star soccer players who had quickly found a million reasons to hate her guts. "She was nice to me before I rejected her, remember?"

James immediately nodded his head, listening closely to the radio that he had lowered in case his new friend wanted to start a conversation. "You're really ballsy, you know that?"

Emily's eyes widened. "What?"

"Ballsy," he laughed, "pretty brave. Growing up with these girls, it's really easy to follow the order of things. The cheerleaders and athletes are pretty much the top of the pyramid, and no one who we go to school with who's been here since preschool would never have thought to turn down JJ."

The brunette took a minute to think. "Why don't you just say athletes?"

"What?"

"You said cheerleaders and athletes," Emily nodded. "Cheerleading is a sport." She turned her head to look back at her friend just in time to see the roll of the older boy's eyes. "Hey! I saw that," she snorted. "Cheerleading is a sport!"

James shook his head, turning off the main road. "Tell me one reason."

Emily waited for the car to stop at the red light before she leveled her gaze at the football player. "Those cheerleaders do flips are thrown a good thirty feet in the air. Your injuries can consist of concussions and bumps and bruises, but they can break their necks."

"People die during football!"

The brunette batted her lashes at her friend, setting a hand to his arm. "Oh you brave boy."

James laughed, shaking off his friend's hand and putting his foot on the gas pedal. "Fine, cheerleading is a sport."

Emily grinned. "Say it with more enthusiasm."

Pumping his fist in the air, the football player listened to the beautiful girl's laughter. "Cheerleading is a sport!" he said fiercely, puffing his chest out.

The brown eyed girl, once her laughter had finally calmed, let her teeth knead gently into the skin of her bottom lip. She sat back against the passenger seat, her head against the leather, and she took in a breath. "Do you think I'm fitting in?"

James frowned at the sudden question.

"I mean I know I didn't get off on the right foot with the soccer players, obviously," she laughed to herself, "but other than that. I mean I have some friends and my grades are great, and now I have after school activities with the debate club and helping out with the football team. That means I'm doing pretty good, right?"

Pulling into the desired driveway, James turned his head to his new friend. "I think you're fitting in great. Everybody loves you." Seeing her uncertainty, the older boy tried to stop his smile. "Well almost everybody."

Emily stopped herself from letting out the girliest giggle she knew was hiding in her throat at her friend's smile. She waited as he politely got himself out of the car and opened her door, and she let him take her hand. "Thank you, kind sir," she joked, letting him lead her through their front gate.

The head of security walked over from the bushes and eyed the football player.

"Nice to see you again," James nodded, ignoring his friend's laughter as the security guard glared at him.

"He's fine," Emily smiled. "Come on, scaredy cat."

James took his hand from the younger girl's and slapped playfully at her arm, following her up to the mansion's front door. "He could have killed me, you know."

The brunette quickly nodded her head. "Oh I know. He's killed a few people, maimed some who tried to trespass," she said seriously. Turning to face the older boy as they stood at the front door, Emily did her best to keep a straight face. "Ok, don't faint on me now."

"No," the teenager huffed, shrugging it off. "I'm fine."

"Really? You sure are working up a sweat."

James knocked the girl's hand away when it came up to feel his forehead. "Funny." Leaning in, the football player took his new friend into a hug, giving her a good long squeeze. "I'm sorry about what happened tonight."

Emily let herself smile into the older boy's shoulder, knowing he had tried his best to make her first party a great one. "I had fun," she nodded, slowly stepping out of the hug. "You know, except for the part where Grace tried to paralyze me with a vodka bottle."

Even though fresh from the breakup, the football player found himself laughing.

"Thank you for tonight. Believe it or not, I really did have fun."

"I had fun too," he said softly, looking into those dark doe eyes the younger girl had. Catching himself before he did something he was sure the new girl would regret, James cleared his throat and took a step back. "I'll see you at practice tomorrow, ok?"

Emily's eyes narrowed on the older boy as he started back down the front steps. "Ok," she agreed. "Goodnight." She watched as he waved back to her before getting into his car, and she quickly got herself inside before the chill got to her. Leaning her head back against the front door, Emily felt herself worry. Why had he gotten so weird?

"Sweetheart," her father called from the dining room. "Are you home?"

The ambassador's daughter gave a quick thank you to the maid who took her coat before biding both her parents a goodnight, rushing up to her room to get Penelope on the phone.


	9. Chapter 9

Shoving the box of tissues over to her friend, JJ did her best to stop the roll of her eyes. Grace was doing a great job of pissing her off. The crying was worse than how she had imagined it would be, the red eyes giving the blond a headache and the constant whining driving her insane. "Hate to be insensitive," she chimed in, earning the attention of both her friends, "but we really need to get back to running our strategy."

Grace's swollen eyes hardened on the blond opposite her. "What?"

JJ let her shoulders shrug as she looked between her two best friends. "I mean if we want to win states," she supplied as the obvious answer.

Clenching her jaw, the newly single teen threw the box of tissues she had been clinging to at the soccer star before storming away.

Teresa looked to the blond rubbing her chest with wide eyes. "Damn," she hissed. "Did you have to be so insensitive?"

"I'm thinking of the team."

"How about thinking of your friends?" the brunette challenged.

JJ kept her eyes hard as she looked back to where her friend had practically run out. "I'm sorry," she said begrudgingly, her hand tight around her notebook. "Ok?" I'm sorry. I should have been more sensitive."

The brunette frowned. "What's with you?"

"I just need to know we're going to win," the soccer star almost whined. "We finally made it to states and we have a really good chance of winning. Everyone needs to be focused on the game."

Teresa stole part of the sandwich Grace had left as her head shook. "I get that, but if we want to win then we all need to be in that mindset, right? So let's help Grace out of her funk and then we can focus on the games."

The blond let out a huff, closing the notebook in her hand to get her mind off the game.

Looking behind them to the table that used to be theirs, Theresa kept her eyes focused on the new girl that had won over everybody she used to call her friends.

"Slut," JJ hissed, her eyes following her friends and settling on the brunette a few tables down.

Emily was surrounded by the football players and cheerleaders, the ambassador's daughter smushed between James and Aaron with Haley leaning over her boyfriend to give her new friend on one of her grapes. Maybe they were going over a play the rich girl had written down for the players, JJ didn't know, but whatever they were looking at had the football players clapping at her back and high fiving one another.

Leaning into the brunette girl, James whispered something in her ears and caused Emily to smile back at him, the new girl letting him move her hair from her eyes.

"Is she seriously letting him jump her after just dumping Grace?"

JJ gave an immediate shake of the head. "I don't get it," she said strongly, "I really don't. She's just one girl. How can one girl get all this attention?"

The brunette turned back to her friend and bit back her grin. "You mad it isn't centered on you or Haley for once?"

JJ glared.

"I mean I don't like her because she obviously is into James, and if I were ok with that then it would go against girl code, but you seem to really hate her."

The soccer star's eyes bugged. "Of course I hate her. Ter! Everything has changed since she got here. We don't have our table, we don't have our friends, Grace lost her boyfriend. What else is she going to take from us?"

"You know we don't actually own those things, right?" Teresa supplied. "She can't _take_ them from us. If we want that table back then we get there earlier, and no one said we weren't friends with them anymore. If we want to hang out with them , who says we can't?"

JJ let her eyes narrow. "I mentioned James and Grace too."

The other soccer player made a face. "Yeah well don't know if that's something we can fix, but the others we can." Gesturing over her shoulder to the full table out in the sunlight, she smiled. "We can go over there right now."

"Really?" the blond felt hesitant. On one hand, she hated the brunette girl, but in the other she really missed hanging out with Aaron.

"Ok," Teresa sighed, pushing herself up. "Well I'm going over there. Come if you want."

JJ watched as her friend made her way over to the table, and her heart sank as Emily immediately made room for her. Teresa didn't necessarily talk to the ambassador's daughter, but being able to sit at the same table with their shared group of friends was a huge step.

And JJ was scared to take it.

"Haley, are you going to states?" Their entire school was focused mainly on sports, academics second, and if one of their teams didn't even get to states then they'd lose funding. This was the soccer team's first state championship in over ten years.

The cheerleader smiled at her fellow athlete and nodded her head. "First competition is on Saturday."

Emily looked up from her play in her notebook and glanced over to Aaron. "All of the games are on the same day?" Soccer, field hockey and football also had their first games on Saturday. Looking between Haley and her boyfriend, she frowned. "You won't be able to watch each other?"

Haley shook her head, her arm around her boyfriend's neck. "No, but we're having dinner the same night to gloat about our accomplishments," she grinned, "which we know we'll get." Giggling as her boyfriend kissed her cheek, Haley pushed her hair behind her ear.

Emily smiled, finding it easier to watch the couple together as every day passed. JJ was right about one thing: Aaron was cute, but he wasn't hers.

"So Emily, where's that nerdy girl who follows you around?"

The table went silent, Emily's eyes flickering over to the soccer player who had seated herself at their table. "Her name is Penelope."

Teresa's jaw clenched. "Sorry."

"She's tutoring," Haley supplied.

"Didn't she say you were a bitch?"

Haley met the eyes of her new friend and kept herself in check before looking back to the other athlete. "Probably," she almost grunted. "A lot of people would say that before actually talking to me. What about you, Teresa? Do you think I'm a bitch?"

Teresa smiled, shaking her head. "Not at all. We're friends."

Emily shrunk back into the arm James had around her back, rolling her lips inward to keep herself out of the impending argument.

"I'm taking Haley's side," the football player whispered into her ear. "What about you? Want to take a bet?"

The ambassador's daughter turned her head so her laugh as hidden in the crook of James' neck. "Not a chance."

JJ's eyes widened as she watched new girl and her friend's ex cuddling together at the lunch table, and she almost fell over getting up from the table and running back into the school to find Grace.


	10. Chapter 10

Letting the older boy take her hand and drag her away from the field, Emily laughed, doing her best to keep all of her belongings from falling. "If I fall in the mud, I swear I'll kill you."

James sent the ambassador's daughter a smile before tugging her harder. "Haley's going to kill me if I don't get you there now."

"Let her!" the brunette laughed, almost dropping her playbook.

The football player stopped them just long enough to take the brunette's backpack and books from her hold. "Better?"

Emily almost blushed at the smile the older boy was giving her. "Yeah," she nodded, letting him take her hand again. "Thank you."

"Now come on!"

Not letting his enthusiasm surprise her, the teen ran alongside the older boy until they finally made it up to the parking lot beside their school. "Seriously?" she breathed. "We ran just to get here?"

James rolled his eyes at the brown eyed girl's negativity and dragged her over to their coffee cart. "She'll have a black coffee."

Emily stood on her toes to see the vendor. "Tall please."

"Small," the football player corrected, feeling the brunette girl hit him as he paid for her. "Thank you."

Glaring up at the older boy, she took the coffee and let him lead her over to an empty table on the grass. "Thank you," she said sweetly, making sure not to smile as she drank the coffee. "You didn't have to pay for me."

"And you didn't have to fix my throw," James said as he stole the coffee from her.

Emily watched as the football player did his best to hide his grimace as he sipped her bitter drink. "You could put sugar in there if you want it," she laughed, taking the cup back from him.

"But then it won't be dark and bitter like you."

Jaw dropping, the ambassador's daughter gave a hard slap to the older boy's arm and watched as he jumped back. "Good! Be in pain!"

James almost choked on his laughter.

"What's going on?" Haley asked, her hand in Aaron's as they walked up to the table and sat themselves down. "Are you ok?" she asked, her blue eyes crinkling as she laughed at the look on James' face.

Emily's head spun. "He called me dark and bitter," she breathed, smiling when James brought her into his side.

Aaron grimaced. "Well..."

"Rude!"

Running up to the table in her new five inch kitten heels, the technical genius rushed over with a younger teen on her hand. "Fellow lovers!" she greeted, forcing the boy in the sweater vest down on the table's bench. "Guys, this is Spencer Reid. He's new and adorable," she grinned. "Say hi!"

Emily gave a smile to the shy teenager at their table. "Hi Spencer," she nodded. "Are you new?"

The boy, maybe he was thirteen, nodded his head.

"Me too," she assured him.

Both football players shook hands with the new student before helping the girls by their sides stand back up. "We're going to be late," James spoke up, meeting eyes with Aaron before turning for their cars.

Emily frowned, letting the football player lead her toward his car. "Where are we going?"

"Dinner?" he asked, waiting for everyone's reactions.

Penelope shot her arm into the air. "As long as I can still meet you there in an hour because I have to drive Spencer back home," she said readily, her hands on the new student's shaking shoulders.

"That's fine," Emily laughed. "I'll text you where we're going."

James put his and Emily's books in his car. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he told the raven haired girl. "I have to change."

Aaron nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Same."

Letting her boyfriend kiss her cheek, the cheerleader of the group waved the rest of her friends off. "You guys go change," she nodded, "Pen, we'll text you when we know where we're going. Spencer, do you want to come?"

The new student slowly shook his head. "My mom wouldn't like that."

"Maybe next time," she smiled. Watching as the rest of their friends walked away, she leaned with Emily against James' car. "So? How's it going?"

Emily eyed her new friend. "With what?"

"James!" Haley grinned, taking the coffee from the other girl.

The brunette watched with wide eyes as the cheerleader took a sip of her coffee with a grimace on her face. "Why do people keep doing that?"

Haley immediately handed back the cup. "That's awful."

Smirking, the ambassador's daughter took her coffee back. "Anyway, James is fine."

"Do you mean fine," she laughed, "or just fine?"

Emily rolled her eyes. "He's just fine." She saw her new friend's face fall, and she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what to tell you. I don't think you were right about him liking me."

Haley glared.

"Oh right, Haley Brooks is never wrong," Emily hissed. "My mistake."

Laughing, the blond ran her elbow into the other girl's. "Come on, you know he likes you. He spends so much time with you-"

"Because we're friends," Emily cut her off.

Haley rolled her eyes. "He broke up with Grace."

"Because she went psycho."

The blond huffed at her friend's denial. "I'm going to punch you." Waiting until the brunette looked at her, Haley shook her head. "Please just give him a chance," she pleaded. "I promise he's a great guy."

Emily kept her eyes on the younger girl. "I think he's a great guy, that's why we're friends. I just don't think he likes me like you think he does."

Frowning, the cheerleader stood straight. "Fine," she whispered, noticing the football players coming back over to them, "you watch everything he does tonight and tell me he doesn't want to be with you."

"All night?"

"We'll have dinner and then go out for fun," the blond shrugged. "If you still don't see it then fine."

Emily's eyes narrowed. "Fine."

Walking up to his car, James sent a smile to the new girl at school and stood as close to her as he could without making it awkward. "You all want to take one car?"

"Mine's still up in the top lot."

Before her boyfriend could tug her away from the car, Haley slipped her hand from his. "Why don't I drive with James and Em you go with Aaron?"

Emily did her best to glare at the other girl without the boys noticing. "Why?"

"Do it," Haley rushed out, pushing her friend to go with her boyfriend and getting into the other football players' car.

Getting in the driver's seat, the light haired teen laughed at the look of exhaustion on his friend's face. "You good Hales?" he asked, putting on his seatbelt.

Haley reached over the seat and slapped the player's chest.

James immediately threw the girls' hand out of his way, his hand immediately rubbing at his peck. "What's the matter with you girls today?"

Hearing the car start, Haley sat back in her seat. "You have to ask Emily out." She turned to see her friend staring at her. "Seriously? Has this never crossed your mind?" She reached back over the console and hit him again. "Really?"

"Stop it!" he yelled, moving her hands away from him. "Why?"

"Why are you stupid?"

James rolled his eyes and finally pulled out of his parking spot. "Why do I have to ask her out?" It had all he'd been thinking about for over a week now, but he had just broken up with Grace.

"Look, I get it," the blond huffed, finally buckling her seatbelt. "You just broke up with Grace and you liked Emily before you even broke up. That's a tough situation."

James looked over to the cheerleader. "Are you in my head or something?"

Haley snorted, looking out the window to see the rest of the athletes from their school leaving the property. "Emily likes you, ok? You like her and she's extremely pretty and smart and she fucking knows football. Ask her out!"

"I know," he nodded, "I just feel like it looks bad if I ask her out right after dumping Grace."

"You know what would look worse?" Haley waited for James to turn and look at her before she smiled. "Being pathetic with no Emily on your arm for prom in a few months. Do you want to sit in the corner while she dances with someone else?"

James glared. "Do you want me to throw you out of the car?"

Slapping his arm once again, the cheerleader shook her head. "I told her you liked her and she's waiting until the end of the night to make a decision on whether or not to give you a chance."

The blue eyed boy felt his jaw drop. "What the hell did you do that for?" Who said he was ready?

"Either you ask her out tonight after showing her what a good boyfriend you can be or you two remain friends and completely oblivious." Rolling down her window, she forced her friend to slow down the car. "Hey Teresa!"

The soccer player looked up and waved.

"Dinner?"

"I can't!" she called back, stuffing her cleats into her bag. "Thanks!"

Seeing the other soccer players behind her, Haley felt herself grin. "Hey Jen! Grace!" When both girls looked over to her and saw her in the car with James, she gave them the finger as they drove off.

James forced himself not to laugh as his friend got her head back in the car. "You're ridiculous."

"And that's why you love me," she smiled, lying her head on his shoulder.


	11. Chapter 11

James couldn't get his mind to stop racing as he parked the car in the restaurant's parking lot, hearing Haley hanging up her phone as they both got out. Walking into the restaurant, he fought Haley's hands that tried to steal his phone from him as he looked for his friend and the girl he had been falling for.

"Over there."

The light haired teen turned his head to see Aaron with his hand juts barely on a laughing Emily's back as they waited for the hostess to come back and tell them their table was ready. Almost charging over, James smacked his friend's hand away and put his in its place.

"Hey," Emily grinned, oblivious to the other football player she was with waving his hand to try and rid the pain. "What took you guys so long?"

Haley locked her arm with her boyfriend's. "I talked his ear off like usual," she laughed. "Do we have a table?"

The hostess came back to the group of four and led them to one of their biggest tables, knowing they were waiting for a fifth, and sat them down. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Emily smiled to James when he pulled her chair out for her. "Just a coke, please." She waited until everyone else ordered and both James and Haley took the seats next to her before she took out her phone. "I'll tell Penelope where we are."

"She can sit right next to me," Haley said excitedly. Looking to her boyfriend, the cheerleader slapped lightly at his arm. "Sit next to James."

"What do you think you want?" James asked the dark haired girl. He watched as she put one of her curls behind her ear as she texted their friend, and he could feel himself starting to stare. Was it weird he just wanted to watch her?

Looking up, the ambassador's daughter smiled. "You said the penne vodka was good, right?"

The football player was quick to nod his head. "Or the steak," he agreed. "Those are probably my two favorite." Not even looking at the menu that he had been given, James smiled. "How about you get one, I get the other and we share?"

"That's perfect." Glancing over to her blond friend, Emily found herself making a face.

She was giving the football player one night to get her to decide whether she thought he liked her or not, and she was already leaning toward one side.

"While we wait, do you want to go over and play a game?" The restaurant they had chosen had an arcade attached to it for kids and teens to play. "They have that basketball game."

Haley watched the interaction, smiling behind her hand as the brunette agreed and stood from her seat. "I'll order for you two," she grinned.

Emily smiled, setting her phone down. "Thanks."

Following the younger girl back to the arcade, James checked through his pockets for a few quarters. "How about a bet?"

"About what?" the ambassador's daughter laughed.

"If you win you can take me to the movies tomorrow and force me to watch that horror movie you've been so excited to see," he smiled to her.

Emily's face immediately brightened. She had tried to get her friends to come with her to see it, but when no one had agreed to go with her she chose to write it off. She didn't want to see it alone. "Really?"

"But if I win," he countered, "I get to spend the night at your mansion." When Emily's brow shot up, the football player quickly nodded his head. "Yup. I'll be the ambassador's son and you can be my maid."

The brunette's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"You can get me drinks, make my bed, all that stuff. And I will be sleeping in that king sized bed you have." She had invited him in one day so she could help with his homework and he immediately planted himself on the mattress.

"Where am I supposed to sleep?" Emily laughed, stealing the quarters from him.

"The floor."

Emily slapped his chest before putting the quarters into the machine. "So what? Whoever makes the most baskets?"

The football player nodded. "Ready?"

"You're going to lose," she laughed.

"Doubt it." James turned to wink at the younger girl before he picked up one of the basketballs.

Haley reached across the table and took her boyfriend's hand. "Come on, he's had to have told you something about liking Emily."

The dark haired teenager shook his head. "I've caught him staring at her," he laughed, drinking his water, "and we've talked about her, but it's all been pretty friendly. He hasn't come to me to confess anything."

"Why not?"

"Guys don't do that," Aaron denied.

Eyes lighting up, Haley stood and waved her friend over to their table. "Penelope!"

The blond almost ran through the restaurant to get to the table her friends had been seated at. "Sorry I'm late," she breathed, pressing a kiss to Aaron's head. "Spencer introduced me to his mom."

The football player frowned, reaching up to where the other teen had kissed his head.

Haley grinned. "That was cute." She pulled the chair out next to her for the other blond to sit. "James and Emily are back playing a game."

Penelope's eyes widened. "Like a sexual game?"

"I wish," the cheerleader groaned. "They're playing an arcade game."

"Did they kiss yet?"

"No, but I told James that Emily was giving him one day to decide whether he liked her or not."

"But he totally does," the technical genius pointed out.

"I know!"

Sitting back in his chair, Aaron ignored the bickering back and forth that was going on in front of him and took out his phone, going over one of the plays his coach had given him and the rest of his teammates before the food arrived.

Laughing, Emily elbowed James' arm out of the way as she shot another basket. "No cheating!"

"I'm not cheating," he argued, keeping an eye on both of their scores, "I'm winning."

The brunette bit down into her lip, focusing on the basket before her, and shooting in her sixth basketball. Now she was winning.

With the clock winding down on their game, the football player abandoned his own basketballs and wrapped his arms around Emily's waist.

Emily's basketball fell from her hands as the older boy picked her up and spun her around. "Cheater!" she laughed, her arms tight over his to keep herself from falling. "You're such a cheater!"

"I can't have you win," he called up to her, waiting until the timer ran out before he set her back down.

The ambassador's daughter almost stumbled when her feet hit the floor. "You're just jealous I was winning," she said, her tongue sticking out at her.

James shook his head, pointing up to the scoreboard. "We're tied," he corrected her.

Emily pouted. "So what, does no one win?"

"We both win."

The dark haired girl felt her face blossom back into a smile. "So you'll come with me to see the movie?" she asked hopefully.

James nodded his head. "And I get to sleep in your million dollar bed." His arm went around the younger teenager's shoulders before he led her back over to their table, his fingers tickling the nape of the teen's neck. "I'd like my pillows fluffed, maid."

Laughing, Emily shoved the older boy from her and sat herself back down at the table. "Hey Pen."

"Hey," the blond grinned back at her. "What are you getting to eat?"

"James and I are sharing the penne vodka and a steak," Emily smiled, taking a sip of the soda that had been brought to the table for her.

Penelope erupted into a smile. "Fun!"

The cheerleader subtly shook her head, telling the other blond to calm down.

"So what are you guys doing after this?" Haley asked, stealing a piece of bread from the middle of the table. "Do you all want to catch a movie?"

Emily's head immediately nodded. "James and I are going to the new thriller at the mall if you want to join."

Penelope grimaced at the thought. "With blood?"

"Maybe, but it's more of a psychological thriller than a slasher movie."

The cheerleader at the table sat up straighter when she saw their food coming to the table. "Why don't you guys go and tell us how it is?" Turning to the girl at her side, she elbowed her arm. "Do you want to go shopping?"

Penelope looked like she could faint. "Of course I want to go shopping."

Two hours later, after their dinner and the pair at the end of the table fighting over who got the last bites of both their dishes, Emily was pulling the football player by the hand into the mall's theater. "And you're buying me popcorn," the ambassador's daughter smiled up to him.

"Soda and popcorn?"

"You're lucky I didn't add in candy," she teased, pulling him to the clerk who'd hand them their tickets.

Making sure their hands stay interlocked, James clasped his tighter around the dark haired girl's and let her lead him to their theater. "Are you prepared to hold me when I get scared?"

Emily snorted, walking with the older boy into the darkness to find their seats. She loved that all of the movie theaters in their tri state area had been remodeled, the seats now recliners with only six to a row. "Of course I am." Walking down the center row, she and the football player sat down side by side. "Now hand over the popcorn."

It was only two minutes into the movie, Emily finally quieting down after talking her friend's ear off during the promos for upcoming movies, when she felt a touch to her arm.

An older man leaned over the arm of his seat and smiled. "You mind sharing, pretty girl?"

The ambassador's daughter moved toward the football player. "I do."

"I got an empty seat over here if you want."

James was quick to stand and help Emily from her seat. "We're good." His hand to her back, he led her up to the back row where there was only one seat open. "This is it in the entire theater." Watching as the beautiful teenager looked back down to the row they'd just left, he sat himself down and patted the material of the seat.

Emily smiled. "You think we can both sit?"

"Only if you put the popcorn on the ground," he joked. "Come on, sit down. We're missing the beginning of the movie you begged me to watch with you."

Blushing, the brunette set the bucket of popcorn down and settled beside the teenager in the just big enough seat. Moving her body to the side, she was able to settle in between the arm of the chair and James' warm body, her hand on his stomach.

"Don't fall asleep on me." Looking down to the younger girl he wrapped his arm around, he watched as her head settled on his shoulder.

"Keep me awake," she chuckled. Emily wanted to reach into her purse and call Haley and Penelope to tell them what was happening, but James took her free hand and intertwined their fingers again before she could.

James took a chance, settling his chin to the top of the beautiful girl's head. "Comfortable?"

Emily's lashes fluttered. She couldn't even pay attention to the movie, the older boy's warmth taking her mind off the screen and putting it on him. "Yeah," she smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

The ambassador's daughter continued fiddling with her hair as she walked into her high school, her backpack on only one of her shoulders as she walked through the doors. Her weekend had been full of smiles - she never thought her cheeks would be able to hold a smile for as long as they could - and for the first time her heart felt as if it would pound out of her chest for a good reason.

The best reason.

Seeing two of her friends walking out of the main office, Emily practically charged over to the two blondes. "Guess who has a boyfriend?"

Penelope's jaw dropped. "No way," she grinned, watching the other blond by her side take Emily into a hug. "No, my turn! Everyone out of the way!"

Emily laughed into her friend's blond curls as she almost tackled her to the ground.

"How did it happen?"

The brunette eyed Haley with a smile. "Shut up," the teen laughed, "you were a part of the entire thing."

"Yeah," the cheerleader was quick to nod, "but Penelope wasn't. So tell us!"

Emily let both girls lead her toward their lockers. "After dinner, we went to the movie that he promised to see with me. This guy was being a total creep so we moved and sat together in a seat up in the back."

"And you made out?"

"No," she snorted. "We cuddled and watched the movie. Then we went back to my house where he slept over because that was part of the bet we made," Emily laughed, rubbing the pads of her fingers over her forehead when she saw her friends look at her with wide eyes. "He slept in my bed and I slept on the floor."

Haley's eyes darkened. "He made you sleep on the floor?"

Emily shook her head, her hand to Haley's arm. "No, the bet was that he got to sleep in my bed because he wanted to sleep in a million dollar bed, or something."

"Your bed cost a million dollars?"

The brunette eyed the other blond in their threesome. "No. Anyway, I woke up and he was laying next to me. He said if I couldn't be in the bed then there was no point of him being in it."

Haley grinned. "That's cute and creepy all in one."

"And then he asked me on a date."

The tech genius 's blue eyes widened behind her glasses as they walked down toward the science wing. "Oh my God James and Emily up in their tree, I'm so excited! When's your date?"

Emily braced herself for the assault that was to come. "We already had it."

"You had your date without telling us?" Penelope screeched.

Haley's face fell.

"I'm sorry," she rushed out, "but I didn't even really have the time. He asked me on a date in the middle of the night and then we fell asleep. When we woke up, I made him breakfast and he took me hiking."

The cheerleader smiled at the description of her friend's date. Being an athlete, she knew how much fun it was to be outdoors.

"And we went swimming in one of those watering holes up in the mountain," Emily blushed. "He bought me lunch when we got back. It was really nice."

"And you didn't think to call us after it happened?"

The ambassador's daughter's head shook as they all went up the stairs to the second floor. "He came back to my place and we fell asleep again, and then yesterday we spent all day at my house just spending time together."

Penelope stopped both of her friends, her eyes softening on the brunette of the group. "You two are so precious," she whispered with a smile.

Emily blushed at the looks she was getting.

"But I didn't see you guys say anything online."

The brunette blew out a breath. "Yeah," she sighed. "He wanted to personally talk to Grace about it, which I get. They didn't break up too long ago and that was kind of my fault anyway."

Haley was quick to hold up her hand. "They broke up because she turned into a psycho."

"Yeah, but he also liked me when they were dating."

"That's James' fault," Penelope pointed out.

Emily laughed, opening the second floor door for them all and walking through. "Ok, I have to go to class but James and I are going out for lunch if you two want to come."

Penelope was quick to deny it with a shake of the head. "You two should spend time together."

"We spent all weekend together," she objected, elbowing her friend. "I miss you guys."

The cheerleader played with one of the dark curls on her friend's shoulder. "You're adorable." Taking out her phone, she sent a quick text to her boyfriend. "Ok, we'll all go out to lunch so you and your new boyfriend can be lovey dovey in public. Pen, you bring that new Spencer kid."

All three girls turned to see Grace and JJ walking away from the boy Emily now called her boyfriend. Emily met the eyes of the football player and shared a small smile with him.

Grace stormed up to the ambassador's daughter, her hands curling into fists at her sides.

Emily was quick to take a step back to try and protect herself but the tears in the soccer player's eyes caught her by surprise. The girl who had many times threatened her over the fact that James liked her was extremely vulnerable, her dark eyes a deep red as they watered.

She let the soccer player stand there for a moment before she sniffled and stormed right past her.

"She'll threaten to kill you later."

Emily's head turned back to see JJ with her books strapped to her chest. "Is that right?" she asked in a soft tone, watching as the blonde's eyes followed the other soccer player's moves down the hallway.

JJ shrugged. "Most likely." Feeling attacked under Haley and Penelope's strong gazes, the privileged girl's arms tightened around her notebooks. "But she'll get over it."

The ambassador's daughter could have sworn JJ was trying to smile at her.

"I'm happy for you."

She and her friends watched as the blond quickly walked around them and followed her friend down the hall. "Weird," Penelope whispered, reaching out and patting Emily's shoulder. "Now you and James can be public!"

Emily smiled, feeling James' arm wrap around her shoulders. "She's really upset."

"She'll get over it," he nodded. He hadn't wanted to hurt the other girl, but he knew she should know before they posted it online and the entire world would know. She deserved better than that.

"We're going out to lunch with you."

James listened to his girlfriend's laughter as her excited friends ran down the hall to their classes, and he pressed a kiss to her dark hair. "I'll see you in four periods."

Emily nodded, letting him kiss her cheek before they went to separate ends of the hall.


	13. Chapter 13

"Get it away from me."

The football player narrowed his eyes a little bit as he leaned forward, sticking the piece of fruit right underneath his girlfriend's nose.

"I swear," she laughed, looking up from her book, "I will shove that right up your ass."

James' jaw dropped. "I don't even get a kiss first?"

Laughing, the ambassador's daughter smacked her boyfriend's hand away. Hearing him mention not being able to kiss her made her stomach roll. They had been dating for just over a week at this point, and he had leaned in to kiss her only once and it was interrupted by a crack of thunder and the rain pouring down on them.

"You can kiss me whenever you want."

Just hearing those words come from her mouth, Emily immediately blushed and stuck her nose back in the book she had been reading.

Seeing his girlfriend's discomfort, the football player moved toward her on the bench they shared. "Do you want me to kiss you?"

"You don't have to because I said to," she laughed lightly.

James took his girlfriend by the chin and slowly turned her head to face him. Staring into her eyes for a long moment, he leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips.

The high school girl couldn't stop herself from smiling up to the older boy as he pulled away.

"Em?"

Looking away from her boyfriend, the ambassador's daughter could see Aaron and Penelope walking across the baseball field toward them. "Hey," she smiled, feeling James' arm wrap around her shoulders. "Where's Haley?"

The other football player sat himself down across the table from the couple. "She has a make-up test for her chemistry class."

Inviting herself to sit down, Penelope winked at the couple. "What are you two cuties doing today?"

"Football game."

Emily let her boyfriend steal one of the grapes from her plate. "But tomorrow we're headed to the city."

Aaron frowned. "Why?" It was at least an hour away and was always too crowded to have any fun. "I thought you were having dinner."

The brunette girl bit down into her lip, feeling James play with her hair. "We thought we'd explore instead," she shrugged.

Penelope batted her lashes at the older girl and smiled. "You two are so cute," she gushed. "Can someone get me a boyfriend?"

Stealing another grape from his girlfriend, James shrugged. "What about that Spencer kid?"

"That's exactly it: he's a kid." The blond shook her head, her curls flying. "It would be like being with my little brother. That's a no-no."

Emily chuckled, taking the last grape James had stolen and putting it between her lips.

"Have you seen Grace?"

James slowly gave a nod of the head. He had bumped into the soccer player the day before and stopped her before she had the chance to run away. She had cried, he had held her, and after he explained that it was best for the both of them she kneed him in the groin and went off to practice.

"Yeah," the football player coughed. "She's getting used to the idea."

Emily made a face. She knew Grace was doing the best she could with the entire situation, but writing nasty messages about her and her friends in the bathroom was something that needed to stop.

Of course she didn't tell James this. Once it settled down, she knew everything would be fine.

"Hey guys."

Emily's eyes rushed over to JJ's figure, watching the soccer player clench her hands around the lunch tray before her. She looked nervous. "Hey," the ambassador's daughter said nicely. "How's your day?"

The blond kept her eyes everywhere but the other girl. "Good."

James went to ask if his friend was ok, but felt his girlfriend start to sit forward.

"Do you want to sit?"

It was clear that the blond was uncomfortable, but she hadn't moved an inch from her spot rooted in front of the foursome. Trying to smile, Emily used her pen to point to the empty seat beside Penelope. "There's a spot if you're interested."

Reluctantly, the soccer player slowly walked over to the table and sat herself down. She could feel every set of eyes on her, and quickly she put piece of a cookie in her mouth.

"Did you do the chem homework, JJ?"

Looking up, Jennifer smiled over to her friend and shook her head. "Not yet." Immediately she noticed that Haley wasn't there.

Emily spilt the banana she had bought with her boyfriend. "Do you not have practice?" School had ended about twenty minutes ago, and Emily remembered not seeing the blond soccer player at their lunch period.

"It was canceled," she informed the other girl carefully. "The other team had a mumps outbreak."

Penelope's gasp had everyone at the table jump. "How horrible," the techy teen sighed. "What school was this? Can you get me their address?" she asked, pulling out her cell phone. "I can send them a gift basket."

Emily almost laughed, hiding her face in James' shoulder when she saw the confused stare Jennifer was giving her friend.

"Um, it was Peirson," she shrugged.

Another gasp from the blond. "That town is famous for the apples," she grinned, typing into her phone's internet browser. "Maybe that's what I should send them."

Just to push Jennifer's buttons more, the new girl in school lifted her head. "But they're already famous for apples. Jen, what else can she send?" She hid her smirk when the soccer player looked over to her. "I mean, she can't send apples if the town is famous for apples. What if they don't live up to the standard?"

Penelope's face immediately fell. "I need to put some serious thought into this."

Jennifer frowned, watching the bubbly blond stand and run back toward the school building. "Is she ok?"

"That's just Penelope," Aaron supplied, sharing smiles with Emily and the other football player.

Feeling uncomfortable in her seat, Jennifer tried her best to break the tension she had created for herself. "So are you two official yet?" She smiled, picking off part of her sandwich to play with as the two looked her way.

James nodded. "For a week, yeah." He tightened his hold on the younger girl, feeling her head lay on his shoulder.

"You put it online and everything?" She was surprised. Grace was still upset, but maybe she didn't make that clear to the couple. "I guess I don't follow you."

The ambassador's daughter met Aaron's eyes, watching as he rolled his at her comment.

"Did you want something, Jay?"

Jennifer smiled shortly to the football player. "Just wanted to make sure you knew you had another friend," she shrugged. "Emily, if you want to come to our soccer game on Saturday you're more than welcome."

Emily felt her boyfriend's fingers clench into the material of her sweater. "That sounds nice." If she was going to offer, there was no reason to keep herself at arm's length. "Here?"

"Yeah." Standing, Jennifer took her lunch tray back in her hand. "Well I missed lunch and a test today, so I'm going to head into the library." Moving away from the table, the blond girl almost waved. "Thanks for letting me sit."

The brunette girl watched as the other teenager got her confidence back as she walked away, flipping her hair over her shoulder as a group of freshman looked her way. "Was that weird?"

Aaron slowly nodded.

"That was weird," James agreed.

"Maybe she's trying to make amends."

Both Emily and James eyed the other football player.

"What?" He hid himself from a few grapes the couple threw at him. "Grace is a psycho, but Jen isn't. And we're friends with Teresa."

The ambassador's daughter shrugged. "Well she's not Grace." Shoving off her boyfriend's arm, she laughed. "As long as she doesn't try to kill me, I'm fine."


End file.
